People tend to say, “automobiles — they just don’t make them like they used to.” Growing up I can remember learning to drive a “stick” shift, and having to memorize the directions. I can even remember the transmission having three forwards and one reverse. You see, no one ever had the factory issued cover for their shifter. I can remember one shifter that had an 8 ball to move from one direction to another. The elderly gentleman showed it to me and said “Straight from the pool table!” Surely he expected us to believe him, as he smiled so bright. Politely we smiled as well.

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Baseball’s best players gather in Minneapolis this week to participate in the All-Star Game. If you’re a fan or even a “weekend athlete,” you can admire these players for their abilities, even if you — like the vast majority of humanity — can’t hope to duplicate them. But if you’re an investor, you may be able to learn some practical lessons from the All-Stars.

So let’s look at a few common All-Star traits to see how they might apply to investors: